Crosswinds
by PrincessFlorea
Summary: Just wanted to do this. Featuring my fav pairing! You *should* know who. That's all I can really say. Pls R&R! ^-^
1. Winds of Memory

*** *** *** ***   
**Crosswinds**   
_Winds of Memory_   
*** *** *** ***

Pakunoda... her memories and thoughts are ours now... she is dead...   
"Why does that mean?" Shizuku asked.   
Phinx looked up from the body on the floor. "I'll explain. I understand."   
But whatever it was, I didn't hear it. That one image of—a blond boy—the chain user, by the name of Kurapika... He seemed familiar... Where did it come from? 

_ "That kid, Kurapika, got in trouble again." A dark haired man said at the dinner table._   
_ "What'd he do this time?" A junior version of the man asked._   
_ "Burnt a neighbor's house down. The town council locked him in the jail. If you ask me, they should've hung that bastard."_   
_ A little girl looked up, about to protest, but her brother kicked her under the table to silence her._

_ When midnight came, the girl crept from her bed and down the stairs. "I was expecting you to do that," A dry voice whispered from behind her._   
_ The girl whirled around. Her brother stood two steps up, with his arms crossed over his chest. "Please don't tell otou-san," she pleaded. "He'll beat me again."_   
_ "I won't."_   
_ The girl stared. "O...onii-san, this is not like you!"_   
_ The darker-headed boy tapped his sister's chin. "Hey, Kurapika's my friend." He smiled to himself. "Plus I know you like him."_   
_ The girl looked up at him in wonder. "How did you—"_   
_ He shushed her. "I know that look you get on your face every time you see him or hear his name."_   
_ "Please let me go. I have to see him."_   
_ "Tonight only. I won't tell, but if otou-san finds out somehow... I guess you could say good-bye for good."_   
_ The girl gasped. "That won't happen!" She grabbed her black cloak and slipped out the door._

_ Reaching the jail, she fumbled around in her pocket for a pick and silently opened the door. In the gloomy darkness, she could make out the silhouette of a boy. He was sitting in a casual position on the cold stone floor with his legs and arms in chains. "Who's there?" His voice startled her. She thought he'd been asleep. "I'm warning you, I can hack you into pieces with this chain here."_   
_ "It's me." The girl said timidly. "Is that you, Kurapika?"_   
_ "Yeah. Who's 'me'?"_   
_ "You don't need to know my name." With the pick, the girl unlocked Kurapika's wrists and ankles. Then she turned to leave._   
_ "Wait. Why did you help me?" Kurapika put his hand on her shoulder to stop her. He saw a glimmer of her eye before she wrenched away from his grasp._   
_ "You don't need to know that either. If you want to find me later, I'll leave you with these words. I loved you." She sprinted away._

_ The next morning, the girl was gone._

***

"Hey!" Phinx waved a hand in my face. "Kinda spacey today, huh? Did you hear what I said?"   
"No..." I faked a yawn. "Must've dozed off." I retreated to a dark corner. "I'm going to get my beauty sleep." _Yeah, right._

*** *** *** *** 

**Princess Floréa: **You should be able to guess who 'I' am, if you've read my other fic.   
**Kurapika-sama:** Hisoka.   
**Floraleon:** Idiot.   
**Princess Floréa: **WRONGO! 'Tis not an idiot nor a Hisoka.   
**Kurapika-sama:** A Hisoka?!   
**Princess Floréa: **Hehe...   
**Kurapika-sama:** *gulp*   
**Floraleon: **BOO!!!   
**Kurapika-sama:** X.X 


	2. Winds Will Pass

*** *** *** ***   
**Crosswinds**   
_Winds Will Pass_   
*** *** *** ***

After that, he was the only thought that occupied my mind. _Kurapika..._ I had to find him.   
Via Internet, I found a person who said he was "hangin' in the ghetto." That made perfect sense.   
So most everyone had left for their own purposes. I think. Feitan and Phinx stayed for an auction and then disappeared into some game. I, on the other hand, made a trip to the North End. Well, in other words, the ghetto.   
Never, had I seen so much graffiti.Except for that time when Hisoka covered all of himself in tattoos, something I did not want to see.   
Wrapped in a cloak to shelter against the wind, I found a place with the same graffiti as in the picture which aeri-s-trife had posted. After about nine knocks, a dude opened the door. I don't mean "dude" as in an infected hair on an elephant's ass, or one of them sponge-brained punks. I meant dude as in weird guy in suit and dweeby sunglasses. Get real. It was a cloudy day. "Wha' d'ya want?" He asked.   
"Is—is Kurapika there?"   
He stared. "Ah...he's...uh...temporarily unavailable." _Oh, really._ "May I take a message?"   
_Hell, no, I'm not on a phone._ "No. I'll return later."   
"What about your name?"   
"You don't need to know my name." I walked away.   
Back at the HQ, I found Shizuku, Shalnark, and Franklin playing cards. I joined in.   
I lost more than Shalnark. 

*** *** *** *** 

**Princess Floréa: **Shh!!!   
**Kurapika-sama: **?   
**Princess Floréa: **I'm supposed to hit th Spider again. *tries to hide a large mallet behind her back*   
**Floraleon:** ...   
**Princess Floréa: ***sees a door marked "The Spider"**opens it**baps the person on the butt*   
**Kuroro(_The_ Kuroro Lucifer, not _you_!):** X.X   
**Princess Floréa: ***snickers**opens the next door and baps th Spider on the head* ^-^ 


	3. Fleeing Wind

*** *** *** ***   
**Crosswinds**   
_Fleeing Wind_   
*** *** *** ***

I returned to the North End the next day. The door was once again opened by the dude. "Back so soon?"   
I raised an eyebrow. "Well?"   
He scratched his head. "Well... I guess you can see him today..."   
I followed him into a small room. There was a bed in one corner. Someone was sleeping in it. I guessed it to be Kurapika. The dude went over and tapped to sleeper on the forehead. The person's eyes opened. "Someone wants to see you." He left the room saying, "I'll leave you two."   
"Kurapika?" I asked awkwardly. Then, to be sure, I added, "Of the Kuruta?"   
"Yes."   
I withdrew from my hood. Kurapika stared for a minute. "Who are you?"   
"How 'bout i give you a hint?" I challenged.   
"Go ahead."   
"And the girl said to him, 'I'll leave you with these words: I loved you.'"   
His eyes closed in thought. He didn't move for quite a while, so I thought he'd fallen asleep. I stood up. Just as two_ very_ familiar-looking kids ran in.   
"_Oh, my God._" The white haired said. "You're the one that kidnapped us! What did you do to Kurapika?!"   
Kurapika's eyes snapped open. "Machi-san!"   
The other kid, of which Nobunaga had favored, turned to look at him. "You know her?"   
"I used to. Gon, Killua, please leave us for a moment."   
They left. "So...you remember." I said. "What else?"   
"You went missing the next day. As far as I know, your brother and I were the only ones that really knew what happened. And then he died."   
I gasped. "He _what_? How?!"   
"In a massacre. I _surprised_ you didn't get the memo." Kurapika's lips tightened to form a line. His voice had a hint of sarcasm. "Let's see... four years ago...two years after you left. An attack by the _Genei Ryodan_?"   
"Four years ago? Four years ago, I was stranded on an island living with the monkeys!"   
"Oh, _really_."   
"Do you think I'd _want_ to kill my own people? I'm not _that_ crazy."   
"What else could I do? I was kidnapped, sent overseas to work as a slave ina strange land, and I get saved by them. What other choice did I have?! Tell me that!!!" A single tear slid down my cheek. "But... you won't believe me..."   
I ran out of the North End at full speed. 

*** *** *** *** 

**Princess Floréa: **I am NOT neglecting ICOMC. I just wanted to get this fic up before it got old.   
**Kurapika-sama: **Uh-_huh_.   
**Floraleon: **More candy! *dumps out another pillowcase*   
**Princess Floréa:** What did you two do?!   
**Kurapika-sama: **We TP'd people's houses, got all the candy from houses with "Take One" Signs, and...   
**Floraleon: **...Pii-chan raided your candy stash.   
**Princess Floréa: ***strangles Kurapika-sama*   
**Kurapika-sama: **X.X   
**Floraleon: ***snicker (that's a candy bar!)* 


	4. Crossed Winds

*** *** *** ***   
**Crosswinds**   
_Crossed Winds_   
*** *** *** ***

It suddenly occured to me, after running into half a dozen dead ends, that I had no idea what i was doing. York Shin was huge. And it seemed lonely in the rain.   
Tucking the cloak tightly around my body, I turned another corner.   
Into another dead end.   
I sank down on my knees and looked up into the dull sky. The heavy raindrops mingled with my tears.   
And then I heard footsteps behind me. _Let them come_, I thought. _Just try and attack me._   
It turned out to be Kurapika. I averted my eyes from him. A few moments of silence passed. "Machi... I'm sorry..." He finally said. "I followed you, and I thought about what you said, and what your brother said about you. One was that _no matter what kinds of unbelievable excuses you gave, they were always true_.   
And back then, you set me free, like an angel, and disappear. And then, right when I feel like I'm in Hell, you come back to me. And—"   
"And then we kiss and live happily ever after, right?" I looked at him, and to my own surprise, smiled.   
And then we kissed. 

*** *** *** *** 

**Princess Floréa:** Now back to ICOMC.   
**Kurapika-sama:** What did this have to do with the title "Crosswinds"?!   
**Princess Floréa: **Figure it out.   
**Floraleon: ***hands Kurapika-sama _Fanfiction for Dummies_*   
**Kurapika-sama:** Oh.*starts running around*   
**Floraleon:** Sit, boy.   
**Kurapika-sama:** *sits*   
**Floraleon:** Play dead.   
**Kurapika-sama:** X.X   
**Princess Floréa:** *sweatdrops* 


End file.
